Article: 2012 Presidential Election: Silent Liberals

The primary season for the 2012 Presidential Election is almost here. But, apparently, progressives are too traumatized by the behavior of the Obama Administration and the wild ranting of Republicans to even talk about what their position should be with regard to the election. I haven't been able to find a single piece on Salon, TruthDig, or OpEdNews in which liberals discuss what they should do. Should they back a real progressive in the primaries? What then if, as is likely, Obama wins the nomination? Should they respond to the contempt shown them by the Democratic leadership by dumping the Dems and backing a third party (most likely the Greens)? There seem to be very few articles on the internet dealing with this pressing subject.

I know, of no prominent political figure other than Ralph Nader who publicly supports the Green Party or the formation of some other new progressive party. I see no signs of a student uprising. Many students are concerned about specific political issues, and substantial numbers are working on worthwhile projects, such as solar powered water heaters. But I see no signs of student interest in the political system that determines who runs the government that decides between war and peace, and influences the allocation of a major portion of the nation's resources.

Unless something dramatic happens, such as a big jump in unemployment, it appears that there will be no significant effort by liberals to rally behind some third party, or to stop the nomination of Obama by the Democrats. They will, it seems, once again meekly and unconditionally support the Democratic candidate.

Defeatism

Why are liberals so reluctant even to discuss abandoning the party that clearly holds them in contempt? One reason is that they greatly exaggerate the consequences of a Republican victory. Actually, a case can be made that the worst outcome would be the election of a Democrat who implements right wing ideas, as Obama has been doing. When this happens, most of those who would normally protest against military adventures, violations of civil liberties, pro-banker policies etc., tend to be silent as the perpetrator is the one they helped elect [2]. Even if they speak out, they carry no weight, since they have already shown that they will not act politically to support their views.

Another point is that most liberals do not vote on principle, but rather on the basis of short-term tactical considerations. They assume that votes expressing their views would be wasted because few others will vote that way. Many would be happy to support a progressive third party, but only after it develops enough to become a significant political force. But very few are willing to help this happen. This despite the fact that their most important views are shared by large numbers of Americans, majorities in some cases, even in the face of the biased media and the lack of progressive leadership. Perhaps even more surprisingly, a large proportion of the American people, perhaps a majority, favors the idea of a third party [3]. The pessimism and timidity of liberals amounts to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A Dismal Outlook

So, in all likelihood, regardless of who wins in 2012, voter turnout will probably fall significantly, there will be no evidence at the polls of support for progressive policies, and the downward spiral will continue, with more military adventures, more environmental degradation, increasing economic hardship and inequality for most Americans, and further erosion of civil liberties. For an analysis of the 2-party scam at the root of our problems click here [4].

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